Approximately 9% of the United States population have chronic kidney disease, although, this prevalence is even higher in Veterans given the high prevalence of diabetes and hypertension (underlying causes of CKD) in this patient population. Out of this staggering number, approximately 450,000 patients have end stage renal disease (ESRD) requiring maintenance dialysis. The number of patients with ESRD is expected to increase to 700,000 by 2020. Five year survival for patients on dialysis is about 35%, a rate worse than many cancers. Half of these deaths are attributed to cardiovascular disease (CVD). Therefore, investigations aimed at discovering novel pathways/molecules that can identify patients at high risk for CVD are of vital importance. Furthermore, these pathways can be explored to identify potential targets for therapy. Given the critical role HDL plays in prevention and reversal of CVD, studies aimed at evaluating and improving HDL function in ESRD patients are of considerable clinical and therapeutic value.